Discussion (108) ¬

I really like the storytelling here. It’s an artform to make the reader figure out what the characters are thinking just through facial expressions alone, and that’s what Nastajia is doing in this last panel. She’s about to make a tough choice.

I could be wrong but it seem like her eyes are a bit too bright. It almost looks like her eyes are creating some light. This might be fine if she was a World of Warcraft character, but I’d say tone it down a bit.

I agree.. Before I was done reading today’s page, I thought her eyes were a bit out of place. They are too bright. I also agree with other sentiments about the storytelling itself, and it’s top-notch as ever.

Don’t worry too much about not everyone having returned yet. They just haven’t heard that the break is over is all. They’ll be back.. And they’ll bring friends. No worries Scott, if you create it, they will come. ^.^

Nancy & I disagree with you. We think Nastajia’s eyes are reflecting the light of the fire (but maybe should be a little more yellow – prompted Nancy to ask what jaundice is). She does look a bit ‘deer in the headlights’ though.

Hey Scott, I’ve been hanging around a year or so and never really said anything, but I wanted to let you know that I’m sure people will start to reemerge. It’s a habit for me to check this site daily during the week, because I love both the story and the artwork. You do a great job and that will always keep people interested.

That being said, I also agree with SparcMan about the eyes being a little too bright. It could be because of the firelight, but I really loved the deeper green that you had been using. In the last panel they look almost yellow rather than green.

Yea more! It’s been a few weeks since I checked back. Don’t worry we latent readers will be coming out of the wood work shortly. I usually check each or at least every other day. I love your story, and I have no doubt everyone else will return soon too. Also, I agree that Nastajia’s should stay a deeper green.

Hey Scott, I didn’t know the next chapter was being posted this week, but I have been checking back once a week to catch up with what’s happening. I was wondering if the email addresses that are required for posting are collected and cached somewhere? if so maybe you could do a mass mail out to say the next chapter is up and running.

I don’t say much about the story because I find everyone else either are smarter then me or have already said what I want to say in one way or another.

Nastajia’s eyes seem ok but still it’s just a little to much in the last frame. I agree with Amanda preferring the deeper green.

Hi there.
Well… I do agree with many people about the eyes, they are kind of bright and they do all most distract from the rest of the ary work.
About the lost of readers… maybe you shouldn’t worry too much about it they will come back after words gets out that you are back.Plus, you need a break once a while.
Have you thought of updating your “Jukebox”? It has been several weeks that you haven’t change the songs.

Hee Scot,
I’ve been back every time you had to lay back with the story just becaus the story is really good and you always had a very good reason for having to stop at times and work with fanart so i think they will come back in time.

5,000 readers short, yet we are sitting at exactly the same place we were last month on Top Web Comics. I think this tells us a few things- 1) The travesty on the ratio of readers who like the comic vs. voters who actually appreciate it; 2) this site gets a ton of traffic; 3) therefore, the voting placement on Top Web Comics does not reflect the amount of readership.

Scott, I would see if you can’t create some sort of a Facebook “widget” that would allow people to put a banner in their Facebook sidebars to advertise it for you. At least that way, it’s not advertising you’re having to spend an arm and a leg on. Let people like myself agree to help advertise the site for you. Or, another option is to add your comic to the Facebook ads. I’d much rather see an ad for DLC (and, I’d click it, anyways, since every click would then provide you with revenue).

Why dont you put the link for voting on the right hand side of the main webpage with all your other links so we can get you further up the webcomic list and maybe generate some interest there, your 34th atm and I can remember you being 1st a couple of times. It does help!

I agree… don’t worry about the readership Scott, they’ll be back. You’re story & artwork is so worth it! And please do not apologize for taking down time. Yes, the comic is in part your livelihood, but your family is infinitely more important. Those who don’t get it, can stick it up their noses. ;P

These pages get more epic by the day. 😀 Poor Nastajia *huggles* but what does Orion expect her to do? Knock it out of his claws with an arrow, have it fall into the ravine and make Alex go fetch? Is Alex capable of anything at this moment but pure rage? Wouldn’t Nick fetch it himself?

In any case, it would certainly teach him Villainy 101: no monologue if you want to win.

P.S. I hope those missing readers come back, but they are fools for not checking in every once and a while. This is easily some of the best pages ever. You posted updates telling us what was happening or promising an estimated comeback date. Some web comics I used to follow disappeared for weeks or even months at a time with no real update on what was happening.

Agreed. There are several comics that I follow that are so inconsistent with their updates (one of the artists was one that starred for a guest page, so I’ll be nice and keep them nameless), and that just bugs the fire out of me that they don’t say anything as to why they didn’t update for a month, when they only update once a week as it is. Communicate, communicate, communicate; which, for the record, Scott, you do an awesome job at. If people don’t know what’s going on, it’s only because they don’t read the blog part of this site.

On a serious note, I’m sure that people will start checking back in soon. They probably thought you might be away for a bit longer or something. It has been only a week, ya? I’d wait a little longer before worrying but then again I’ve never owned a webcomic/page before.

I will agree with general concensus that her eyes are a bit too light/bright but her facial expression is well…odd.

Panel 2, she has that look of “nobody home.” The last panel she has the look of “oh no, not bobby!”

Hey Scott,
This is my first post but just wanted you to know that your comic is great. Love the art work and the story line is very interesting to follow. I don’t agree with the previous comments on Nastajia’s eye’s though. The way the panel looks to me is that the fire has lightened them and that is what would really happen in life, so in other words it looks right. I would stay with the color you had afterwards though (if you had been thinking about changing the color that is) but for the current events going on now….the look is perfect! Thanks and keep up the great work.

Too short? Do you realize how long it’s taken him to get to 1,000 pages? lol There isn’t a comic that I know of on TWC that has this many pages. Also, perhaps you were speed reading through, but I know when I jumped in (it was at about 950 pages or so), it took me at least 8 hours to read. I had to do that over a period of 3 days because I work so much (was very much appreciating the ability to save where I left off). lol You must be bored if you thought it was “too short.” lol

Perhaps we could get current visitors to vote on TopWebComics as well. For a long time, you were up in the top 10-20 comics. That refers a lot of visitors. Maybe make the voting button close to the comic again?

What allowed Scott to get that far up the list for a couple of months was the voting incentives that were created (the letters) that everyone knew WOULD NOT be a part of the actual graphic novel once published. In the few months that I’ve been here, that would be the only thing that I’ve seen that motivated enough people to vote that we actually were in second, behind Phoenix Requiem. I did a calculation on the voting there, one time, and as I recall Phoenix gets about 2 votes per minute, on average. We were only getting about 1 vote per minute when we were in second place (as compared to our current normal 1 vote per 40 minute average).

Scott, Nastaja’s expression is truly wonderful in this page. I was wondering if you changed something about her in her. Doing that to her eyes is actually a pretty neat idea.
Ever since this chapter started I’m pretty much blown away by the artwork anyhow – most of all by the lighting. It’s so much more dynamic and plastic and reveals so much more of the characters – compared to this the old chapter’s lighting seems actually almost bland (oh man, and now I make this sound like an insult again.. forgive me…).

I actually disagree with the general consensus – I think the lightened eyes look fine, at least on a temporary basis to point up the reflected firelight. But I will bow to the majority … 😉

I do think it’s interesting and more than a little ironic that Orion has been counseling restraint and caution to Alex for the last couple of pages, and now he seems to be urging Nastajia on to action. Perhaps he still doesn’t fully trust in Alex’s competence, or maybe his judgment? I’m probably reading too much into that, but it’s intriguing nonetheless …

As far as the missing 5000, that’s what, 20%, maybe 25% of your former readership? I’m sure they’ll trickle back in, or be replaced by new readers, as others have already said.

I agree. The eye-shade in the first two panels could probably be a bit deeper, but the last panel is perfect. In addition to fitting in with the ‘reflected firelight’, it somehow complements the facial expression and thought(s) behind it (for me, anyway).

I also noticed that contrast in Orion advice.I think it may be more Alex’s prudence/judgement than his competence that he doesn’t trust. Human emotions are often a gateway to irrational behavior, especially anger. Nastajia however, seems to have learned to control (or at least suppress) her emotions and put rational thought first. So it makes sense that to me that he’d urge Nastajia to make the first move.

I’m sure once people know that you are back to regular updates they’ll be back. I was still popping in everyday to see if you were back. Everyone needs a break from their job. Hope you had fun on yours.

Love the new pages and I do love how well lit Nastajia’s eyes were. Also, Nicodemus’s expression and pose…just goes to show how evil, how confident, and how comfortable he is with himself as he destroys the very things that could help Alex defeat him.
(*shivers in delight* Sorry….I seem to have a thing for well thought out villains))

As for not getting all of the readers back, don’t worry. They will mosey on back when they are ready and they will most likely bring a friend or two. I brought several friends myself as I couldn’t help it. I wanted them to read something enjoyable for once instead of all the college papers and work related stuff.

First time actually making a comment on the webcomic so I suppose I should start out with the tried but true comment that I adore the comic and love the artwork!

Also, I was one of those people that discovered the comic DURING your break. I’m sure its just a matter of time before other people come back. They always seem to for a good comic like this. I’ve seen it happen before.

Hey I just wanted to let you know, that it might be a little slow getting everyone back, but rest assured people will all flock back to Dreamland soon. Just be a little patient and I’m sure it’ll all be fine.

I’m really enjoying the art so far, this scene is dramatic and very well paced. The lighting on Nicodemus from the fire is excellently placed, and I like Nastajia’s eyes.

I ain’t left ya… it may take me a few days to keep up sometimes, but my inner child wants to know what’s going on in Dreamland. As for Nastajia’s eyes… I liked them darker. See, you can’t please everyone… 😀

Regarding you adding Advertising to the site, I still suggest you put up a Dreamland News recurring section asking for a regular advertiser. One of your Normal Number – 5000 readers may know someone who knows someone who would like to be seen here.

Just don’t make it the little green gecko! You already know what Geico would want changed in the comic! 🙂

Hello Scott, I think it’s great that you’re trying to improve the way your characters look. It’s great to see the changes over time.

I was also wondering if you would be willing to help me out. For one of my classes, we have to interview someone who does something that we want to do. I would adore to be a comic artist some day, and your story is so amazing, so I thought that you would be the perfect person to have answer the questions. I’m just not sure how you would like me to get them to you if you’re interested in doing that.

I’m going to second the Jukebox thingie (for one) and another idea is that you put links of new comics or another websites that you’ve learned to love in some time. 🙂
The web works in wonderous ways Scott… soon everyone will be like moi, clicking madly to follow the story.
That being said,
it must be a HELL of a fire to light up those deep green eyes. I love the effect! But you might want to check the level of contrast in Nicodemus scales… they’d look a lot more sculped-like, if you get my meaning.
Another thing: Caius Julius Caesar, Rules of Dreamland? Wow, talk about Evil&Cruel Classes… 😛

For some reason Staj’s look angle doesn’t look right, almost like she is “lost” as some people are saying. But not the real reason for the post.
I know it’s a bit late comming but I resisted for a long time and hope you have too.
Do Not see the Princess of Mars film that came out last year unless you know that it is completely and entirely rescripted not to fit the book. Even turned one of my favorite and faithful characters Khantos Khan into the bad guy.
Just hoping that you havent had the story image ruined for you.

A suggestion for Nastajia would be having her mouth revamped a little so it’s not always so drawn down at the sides into a frown. I’m appreciate she is meant to be a serious, overburdened character who is being asked to behave beyond her years, but constantly having her mouth in the semi-frown makes her other expressions lose effectiveness and seem only half-formed.

On the movie-plans: I shudder to think what kind of travesties the Hollywood-money-machine will impose on The Dreamland Chronicles to make it (to their inane minds) viable for the box-office. Indeed, do not remind me of the travesties that were The Princess of Mars, or the third X-Men, or some other comic-franchises.

The new eyes look good; I liked the firelit eyes in the last panel the way they were, but these look very good too. And Lynda Carter still has two of the most beautiful eyes in Hollywood, so you can’t go wrong aiming for that look! (Which, no surprise, you nailed, of course … )

I never left…… although I did skip a couple of days here and there. The eyes are better being a bit darker, but with the fire that Dragons Breath tends to create, it would lighten them a bit. I see a sollution, if only she could turn off the trailing butterflies…… I just wish I could get more episodes in one shot, with out missing time of course. As for putting a banner on a website or on Facebook, I would be willing to do that. How does that line go…..build it and they will come….well you certainly have built something here and they will come back.

You’re down to about #30 on top webcomics right now. I remember you used to be higher. I’m sure taking a break didn’t help that one. I’ve suggested this before and will suggest it again: put a vote button somewhere on this front page. Most comics have one on the front page. I would probably vote for this comic almost every day if one were up here. Yes, your most loyal fans have bookmarked the site, but making it easy for everyone else will get you more votes, which may get you more views, as well.

Some evil troll ate my yesterday comment … sgrunt … anyway, I like much more new Nastajia’s eyes than the first (yesterday) version. And her expression is more poignant now, with the new eyes. Eyes seem sometimes unimportant, but they really do a facial expression !
Good work, Scott.

I am not really sure about Nastajia’s eyes – I like them because of their expressive ability, but it also makes her more vulnerable and Barbie-like because they are able to have such expression. Nastajia is anything but Barbie-like: she has her vulnerable moments with Alex but that’s allowed.

Anyway, your readers are slowly coming back as long as you continue to do what you are doing. I’m sure they are checking back every week, but once they find you’ve updated they’ll go back to their daily schedule.

The larger iris looks better if you want Nastajia to look more attractive.

I am not sure of the programing difficulty, but you should adjust the size and shape of the pupil relative to the lighting. I would also recommend adjusting both the pupil and some of the iris to reflect Nastajia’s emotional state. Real women’s pupils dilate when they look at infants or are falling in love. I have always wondered what would happen if I shone a bright flashlight on the retina. I am not quite that rude and it is a bad experiment because you could not tell how much of the contraction was caused by the light and how much was the caused by ruining the moment. I believe there is a two way effect, candle light dinners and fireplaces are perceived as romantic and smooching is usually done in dim light or in the dark. The dim lighting and soft colors cause the pupils to dilate which then changes the way objects/people are perceived. The spots, rings, and flecks in the iris move when the pupil dilates and contracts.

I would recommend borrowing the pupil/iris shapes from cats and alligators. Have the pupil assume the sharp diamond reptile shape when Nastajia is about to kill. When aiming and firing the bow for example. It would not quite look like a reptile’s eyes because Nastajia would still have whites. When she is angry or when scolding Alex I would use something closer to a cat, more of an oval. Keep the human circle for calm/happy expressions. If you want Nastajia to look like a human model why give her long pointy ears and stretched neck?

Many animals with strong night vision evolved mirror surfaces behind the retina to increase light adsorption. You can see this if you put on a headlamp or use flash photography. If the subject is looking directly at you the iris color switches when it is back-lit by the reflected light. Could be an effective way to show races and creatures using nightvision.

lol,.. sorry, one of the five thousand short,…dead computer, but I have gone back,..atleast a year and have been speeding through the archives to catch up, and reading most of the commemtary too, hard to keep up with some of them(tekserver)